Texture
Statement of intent
THEME
I am going to use Texture as my theme and I will look at natural and man made textures so that I get a contrast and range of images. For natural texture I will look at the texture of different trees because some trees have smooth and some of them have rough texture.
I will also focus on the texture of vegetables and fruits, for example a kiwi is rough and hairy from the outside and smooth from the inside. Also from man made texture I will use buildings, glass, bricks and metal to take photos of. The buildings made from glass are smooth and shining whereas bricks have a rough texture. I prefer the natural texture because they are more things that I can explore. I hope to go out on location to capture images of trees, water and plants and then contrast this with going into Manchester and Taking more pictures in an urban setting to capture the different textures.
ARTIST/RESEARCH
The first photographers I am going to research are Edward Weston and Ansal Adams. The reason I am going to start with Edward Weston is because he is known for taking fantastic images of fruit and vegetables which is something I would like to do. What I like about his work is the black and white quality which brings out the texture and also the beautiful lighting. This will inspire me to try and take photographs which are carefully lit and bring out the texture. I also like the way he uses a black background and an infinity curve. I have chosen to look at Ansal Adams' work because it is similar and I seem to like to be drawn to photographs in black and white and are quite simple. I also like the way they use composition and are tightly cropped. During the course of my project, I may research other photographers, perhaps people who use colour or refine their work using filters and Photoshop.
INITIAL RESEARCH
For my initial research I will start by creating a mind map that will set out different types of Texture that I could photograph. For example, I am thinking about trees, barks, buildings, landscapes, metal and flowers. I like the idea of exploring man made textures in contrast to natural textures because this could lead me into doing some interesting work. I am also going to make some mood boards to inspire me and to help me with ideas. I am looking at the work of famous photographers to help me understand photography techniques but I will also look at Photoshop tutorials so that my final images are developed and refined.
PHOTOSHOOTS
In this project I hope to do lots of different types of photoshoots and I am excited by this. I hope to learn how to use my camera in a manual setting to take photographs in a studio, exploring different lenses, composition techniques and lighting. I plan to work independently and capture texture in my own city of Manchester, also the sky and objects like flowers. I will do this using my own camera on my phone which will show that I can use different equipment. We hope to go on a location shoot in the Peak District for the day so that we learn how to use the camera to capture different types of texture. I also will plan to think about how I have to change my camera to get the correct exposure on my photoshoots. I might bring in some of my own props to photography so that my work is more personal.
EXPERIMENT
I am going to use a Canon DSLR on manual settings so that I can learn all the settings, such as exposure, aperture and shutter speed. This will give me good knowledge and skills for Photography and will help me to take better photographs. I hope to use different lenses for close-up work to show the detail in Texture. I am also going to experiment using different filters on my phone, such as ones that change the colour or make the image turn to black and white. A big part of experimenting will be how to use Photoshop which I am looking forward to as I think it will develop my images. The way I am going to do this is to look at different tutorials and try techniques and learn new skills.
PROGRESS
I will research more artists for natural and man made texture. I will take more photographs based on my research of the other artists. I will divide my portfolio into two sections one for natural texture and one for man made texture. This will help me improve my portfolio. I think I will use both colour and black and white pictures to show how the textures look different and the effect it creates. I will continue to improve my work by doing more research, taking more photographs and editing the photographs in photoshop. I will keep on improving my work to make my final portfolio excellent. I will try to finish my work on time.
HOPE TO LEARN
I will try to learn more about the different aspects of cameras like different lenses, shutter speed, different angles and light when taking photographs. Researching different artists will teach me how to take better photographs, and will help me to refine and improve my work. I will learn from my mistakes and try not to repeat them in my next project.
Edward Weston Research
Context
"Edward Weston, an American photographer was born in Highland Park, Illinois. Weston began to make photographs in Chicago parks in 1902, and his works were first exhibited in 1903 at the Art Institute of Chicago. Three years later he moved to California and opened a portrait studio in a Los Angeles suburb. In the 1930s, Weston and several other photographers, including Ansel Adams, Imogen Cunningham, and Willard van Dyke, formed the f/64 group, which greatly influenced the aesthetics of American photography. In 1937, Weston received the first Guggenheim Fellowship awarded to a photographer. Edward Weston was one of the true regenerative artists: an awakener of the eye and the evolving mind it serves. Weston made his last photographs at his beloved Point Lobos, California, during the decade from 1938 to 1948, 1948 being the year he was stricken with Parkinson's disease." I found this information from: "https://www.westongallery.com/original-works-by/edward-weston"
Composition
Edward Weston took this photograph in black and white . The impact this has on this image is that it enhances the detail on the cabbage , shadows and light on the image to give a contrast of dark and light. The light is aimed from the bottom right corner of the photo.
Subtle lighting: with soft lighting in the front and the back is dark.
It has a black background with infinity curve , In my opinion it makes the image real as if you can feel the texture of the cabbage leading lines create a triangle shape and eyes are down to the top of the picture.
We can see strong leading lines in the photo created by the outline shape and the veins in the leaf.
In my opinion the black and white it makes the image stand out.
Image is taken from eye level. I feel the camera was put on a tripod and the photograph was taken in a studio.
The photographer has to put a film and set (ISO) on the camera. I would guess the (ISO) is in between 200/400 was set for this photo, white balance was set manually in studio by the photographer. I think Edward Weston has done this to make his image look 3D and add more depth to it also.
Subtle lighting: with soft lighting in the front and the back is dark.
It has a black background with infinity curve , In my opinion it makes the image real as if you can feel the texture of the cabbage leading lines create a triangle shape and eyes are down to the top of the picture.
We can see strong leading lines in the photo created by the outline shape and the veins in the leaf.
In my opinion the black and white it makes the image stand out.
Image is taken from eye level. I feel the camera was put on a tripod and the photograph was taken in a studio.
The photographer has to put a film and set (ISO) on the camera. I would guess the (ISO) is in between 200/400 was set for this photo, white balance was set manually in studio by the photographer. I think Edward Weston has done this to make his image look 3D and add more depth to it also.
Connection
We have been studying texture in class and this image is good at showing off the texture and the curves of the subject of the picture, It connects to my work because of the photo I took of the fruits and vegetables also brings out and focuses on the texture, just like the work of Weston. It also connects to my work because I m interested in looking at shapes and patterns in nature and the world around me to make my work more interesting.
Comment
This is a wonderful, clear and very transparent picture. I like this picture because the focal point can be seen, The leaf of cabbage is very clear and we can see the detail of cabbage and also I like this picture because the black and white are always innovative in appearance. I might use his ideas to inspire my own photographer, I would also like to try doing some black and white photography as I think it brings out 'Texture' and looks very professional.
Ansel Adams Research
Context
Ansel Adams photographer and environmentalist, was born in San Francisco,(Feb. 20 1902 — Apr. 22, 1984), California, the son of Charles Hitchcock Adams, a businessman, and Olive Bray. 1927 was the pivotal year of Adams’s life. He made his first fully visualized photograph, Monolith, the Face of Half Dome, and took his first High Trip. More important, he came under the influence of Albert M. Bender, a San Francisco insurance magnate and patron of arts and artists. Literally the day after they met, Bender set in motion the preparation and publication of Adams’ first portfolio, Parmelian Prints of the High Sierras [sic]. Bender’s friendship, encouragement, and tactful financial support changed Adams’s life dramatically. His creative energies and abilities as a photographer blossomed, and he began to have the confidence and wherewithal to pursue his dreams. Indeed, Bender’s benign patronage triggered the transformation of a journeyman concert pianist into the artist whose photographs, as critic Abigail Foerstner wrote in the Chicago Tribune (Dec. 3, 1992), “did for the national parks something comparable to what Homer’s epics did for Odysseus.” Adams made several lengthy trips to the Southwest to work with Mary Austin, grande dame of the western literati. Their magnificent limited edition book, Taos Pueblo, was published in 1930. In the same year Adams met photographer Paul Strand, whose images had a powerful impact on Adams and helped to move him away from the “pictorial” style he had favored in the 1920s. Adams began to pursue “straight photography,” in which the clarity of the lens was emphasized, and the final print gave no appearance of being manipulated in the camera or the darkroom. Adams was soon to become straight photography’s mast articulate and insistent champion. In 1927 Adams met photographer Edward Weston. They became increasingly important to each other as friends and colleagues. Adams was an unremitting activist for the cause of wilderness and the environment. Over the years he attended innumerable meetings and wrote thousands of letters in support of his conservation philosophy to newspaper editors, Sierra Club and Wilderness Society colleagues, government bureaucrats, and politicians. However, his great influence came from his photography. His images became the symbols, the veritable icons, of wild America.
From: Ansel Adams, Photographer - A Biography
From: Ansel Adams, Photographer - A Biography
Composition
Ansel Adams has taken this photograph in black and white and to me creates a dramatic style because you really focus on the flower.
The flower is in the foreground, there is a slightly pattern grey coloured surface which is in the mid ground where the flower has been placed and this is against a plain black ground. There are no hard edges in the background which keeps the image soft which is in keeping with the flower.
The rule of thirds have been used, the flower has been placed on the right side of the photograph, which is called the 'sweet spot', taking up more than half of the space captured. Using this compositional technique draws your eye into the centre of the flower.
The depth of field used is I think is a shallow because the background fades and is slight out of focus keeping the appearance of the flower sharp.
The shadow captured attracted my attention, I think this has created by a leading line on the petal on the right side of the flower going from dark to light. From the bottom of the picture darkness to the top right hand corner light can be seen on the petal there is a good focal point in the middle of the picture showing the detail of the flower.
The flower is not real it is a fabric flower this has allowed the lighting used to be captured differently compared to a real flower as a real flower would show the light in a shiny way.
This image has been taken in a studio set up , possibly using a tripod and controlled lighting.
In my opinion the black and white make it the image stand out, I guess the (ISO) is between 100/200 was set for this photo.
The photographer has cropped the image tightly almost cutting the top of the flower off which makes the image very close to the picture plane and you feel you could almost reach out and touch the flower.
The flower is in the foreground, there is a slightly pattern grey coloured surface which is in the mid ground where the flower has been placed and this is against a plain black ground. There are no hard edges in the background which keeps the image soft which is in keeping with the flower.
The rule of thirds have been used, the flower has been placed on the right side of the photograph, which is called the 'sweet spot', taking up more than half of the space captured. Using this compositional technique draws your eye into the centre of the flower.
The depth of field used is I think is a shallow because the background fades and is slight out of focus keeping the appearance of the flower sharp.
The shadow captured attracted my attention, I think this has created by a leading line on the petal on the right side of the flower going from dark to light. From the bottom of the picture darkness to the top right hand corner light can be seen on the petal there is a good focal point in the middle of the picture showing the detail of the flower.
The flower is not real it is a fabric flower this has allowed the lighting used to be captured differently compared to a real flower as a real flower would show the light in a shiny way.
This image has been taken in a studio set up , possibly using a tripod and controlled lighting.
In my opinion the black and white make it the image stand out, I guess the (ISO) is between 100/200 was set for this photo.
The photographer has cropped the image tightly almost cutting the top of the flower off which makes the image very close to the picture plane and you feel you could almost reach out and touch the flower.
Connection
This image connects to my own work as I hope to take images of flowers as I feel they are a good subject matter for Texture. I am also going to try to do some photography in colour but then change the image to black and white in Photoshop.
Comment
This is an amazing picture. I like this picture because the leaves are clear and there is a focal point in the middle of the picture showing the detail of the flower , Also I like this picture because it is in black and white which are my favorite colours and makes the image stand out.
Sandra Bartocha Research
Context
"Sandra Bartocha (1980) is a German freelance photographer and author specialising in natural landscapes, forest and plants as well as abstract work, with the specific aim of creating images that evoke an emotional response.
https://www.lensculture.com/sandra-bartocha#:~:text=Sandra%20Bartocha%20(1980)%20is%20a,Enchanting%20Woods
https://www.bartocha-photography.com/index.php?section=portfolio&sub_portfolio=neuefotos&page=1&img_id=13&info=false
- born and raised in Mecklenburg-West Pomerania
- Studied media science, English and educational science in Potsdam
- freelance nature photographer and artistic wedding photographer
- Editor-in-chief of the magazine GDT - Forum Naturfotografie
https://www.lensculture.com/sandra-bartocha#:~:text=Sandra%20Bartocha%20(1980)%20is%20a,Enchanting%20Woods
https://www.bartocha-photography.com/index.php?section=portfolio&sub_portfolio=neuefotos&page=1&img_id=13&info=false
Composition
In the photograph she has used the rule of three. She is put the tree in the foreground with the green fern in front to make the colour stand out, showing the details of the leaves. In the background the trees are of different shades of grey. The orange grass on the ground makes the trees stand out and looks like the grass is on fire.
The pale grey background highlight the trees in the front and makes them the focal point of the shot.
The vanishing point can be seen in the front in a shape of V in the grass. Also the vanishing point can be seen on the right side of the foreground tree where I feel the trees are fading away in the background as they go further back. Sandra has used the rule of three for colours in the picture. On the top of the picture you can see yellow and grey , middle has shades of grey and green and the orange covers the ground.
In my opinion the picture was taken either early in the morning or early evening. I know this because the lighting in the picture is very soft.
She cropped the picture to make it look like she has pointed the camera straight at the bottom section of the trees rather than taking the full shot for picture of the trees to give you a feeling as you were standing in the middle of the picture.
I can see the texture of the trees specially the trees which are the darker in colour, this implies that the shot was taken using tripod, a micro lens or it is because of the soft lighting.
The pale grey background highlight the trees in the front and makes them the focal point of the shot.
The vanishing point can be seen in the front in a shape of V in the grass. Also the vanishing point can be seen on the right side of the foreground tree where I feel the trees are fading away in the background as they go further back. Sandra has used the rule of three for colours in the picture. On the top of the picture you can see yellow and grey , middle has shades of grey and green and the orange covers the ground.
In my opinion the picture was taken either early in the morning or early evening. I know this because the lighting in the picture is very soft.
She cropped the picture to make it look like she has pointed the camera straight at the bottom section of the trees rather than taking the full shot for picture of the trees to give you a feeling as you were standing in the middle of the picture.
I can see the texture of the trees specially the trees which are the darker in colour, this implies that the shot was taken using tripod, a micro lens or it is because of the soft lighting.
Connection
In this photography I can see that it is a landscape image of a wood in Autumn, as I can see that the bracken has turned a beautiful golden colour. I can also see hints of green which stands out against the rustic orange colour. I can see that the wood is in the West as it is not tropical, it could almost be a wood in England and looks a lot like the wood I visited at Padley Gorge. In the photography the trees stand out and you can really see the texture of the bark, as well as the bracken leaves.
Comment
This is an amazing picture, I like this picture because the photographer has used many photographic techniques, such as, the vanishing point can bee seen in the front in a shape of a V . Also I like this picture because the lighting is very soft and makes it look magical, like a picture from a fairy tale. I like the subject matter of the image and I also like to take photographs from nature. This photography clearly links to my work because I also have taken a series of images in a wood and if I take more, I will try and use some of her techniques. Looking at this picture, a really important thing is the lighting and that she has captured the softness at a certain time of day. This is something I would like to do to improve my own photographs and feel inspired by her.
Coggle Layout
Natural Mood Board
Man Made Mood Board
Leaves
Best and Worst
This is my best picture because of the focal point it can be seen, clearly as I have focused on the leaves. The leaves are very clear and we can see the details of the leaves.
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In my opinion this is my worst picture because it is not very clear, it's a bit dark because of the lighting however it does show contrast in the different colour greens. I did not focus on a certain area making everything be in the shoot.
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Dried Leaves
Best and Worst
This is my best picture because I focused on the leaves, they are very clear. Also I like this picture because of the ambient light present.
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In my opinion I think this is my worst picture because it's a bit dark and it does not look appealing as the white balance is not set right.
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Tree
Sky/Clouds
Bark